I Became A Flashing Genius At The Magic Academy-Chapter 432

From the moment he said they were born with black mana, Flowerserein found it hard to comprehend.

In her understanding, no living being in this world was ever born with black mana.

Black Mages didn’t reproduce.

The reason for their proliferation was their ability to manipulate and corrupt humans by exploiting negative emotions like violence, war, poverty, anger, despair, and fear.

As long as positive emotions existed, negative ones could never be eradicated. Unless, of course, all humans became emotionless machines.

“Born with black mana? Dark Elves...?”

Flowerserein stood from her seat and approached Dalion. His vacant eyes slowly lifted to meet hers.

“I cannot believe your claim that you were born with black mana. The World Tree would have rejected you.”

“...Misunderstanding...”

“Misunderstanding?”

Dalion nodded and reached a hand toward her. Startled, Flowerserein took a step back, but Dalion’s expression turned sorrowful as he spoke.

“In the beginning... the World Tree harbored both life and death...”

“Life and death? Are you expecting me to believe that?”

The World Tree symbolized life.

It had never been associated with death or any negative energy—not from the moment it bore its first fruit thousands of years ago, nor in the countless ages since.

“But... when the first life was born from the World Tree, it took death with it...”

That was, according to Dalion, the Dark Elves.

...This cannot be true.

Flowerserein bit her lip.

The World Tree was not simply a symbol of the fairies but of all life across the Aether Continent. She had no doubt that all life had sprouted from the first World Tree—flowers, animals, insects, humans, and everything in between.

This was not just an elven belief. Even the history books of humans and dwarves echoed similar accounts. No one questioned the World Tree’s role in the creation of life during the continent’s primordial days.

The World Tree was life.

The World Tree had always represented purity, the color white.

And yet... to claim that it also symbolized black death?

How could she believe such a thing now?

No matter how long the Dark Elves had served the World Tree, no matter how truthful Dalion’s state under her spell seemed...

Flowerserein could not readily accept such an assertion.

“Fine. Then let me ask another question.”

Dalion’s pupils quivered.

The spell of allure from The Spring of Crimson Blossoms was beginning to reach its limit. While it was simple to captivate someone, fully dominating their mind to this degree required immense effort, even for Flowerserein.

It was only because this place was built from the Baekryun Tree, and because she carried the World Tree’s power within her, that such a feat was possible.

It’s about to break...

She had to ask quickly.

“Why did your kind remain hidden until now?”

This was the question that had lingered in her mind the most.

Dalion tilted his head, a vacant expression on his face. Then, suddenly—

“Krhhh... Aaaaaaaagh!!!”

He grabbed his head and let out a piercing scream.

“Your Majesty! What’s happening?”

“Aaaaah!!”

“Krhhh!!”

“Arrrrgh!!!”

Hearing the commotion, five elven guards rushed into the reception room, their staffs pointed at the Dark Elves.

The Dark Elves writhed on the floor, clutching their heads and screaming in agony. Flowerserein’s heart sank at the sight.

Could it be...? Did I overuse my power and cause this...?

—No, that’s not it. Rest assured.

Startled by the sudden voice, Flowerserein turned her head.

A translucent woman with nine fox tails swaying behind her reclined atop a cloud of white mist. It was The Spring of Crimson Blossoms.

At the unexpected appearance of one of the Twelve Moons, the elves immediately dropped to their knees in reverence.

—Ah, no need for that. It’s rather uncomfortable...

She sat upright, swung her legs off the cloud, clasped her hands, and rested her chin on them.

—How peculiar.

“What do you mean by peculiar?”

—Their minds have been bound by some sort of limiter. Even we of the Twelve Moons would struggle to create such a technique. It’s not a simple power, but rather... a kind of skill beyond mere authority.

Indeed.

The Twelve Moons wielded abilities at the peak of what was possible for living beings—if one’s strength could be measured from 1 to 100, they were already at the absolute limit of 100.

Their abilities could not grow further, though they could make slight modifications to the powers they were born with.

But human ingenuity was different.

Humans, though limited to a range of 1 to 50, had developed numerous techniques and variations, such as combining 10-2 or creating methods like 14-8. They had innovated and expanded in countless directions.

—The human soul is complex beyond imagination. True mental # Nоvеlight # domination is nearly impossible. What we see here... is likely a mechanism that triggers a seizure if they attempt to reveal certain key information. Even that is an extraordinary technique.

“So... you’re saying...”

Flowerserein took a deep breath, then spoke.

“They are not truly Dark Elf royalty, are they?”

—That’s correct.

If they were real Dark Elf royalty, no one would have dared to impose such a restriction on them.

In other words, these three were likely disposable pawns, sent to probe and test.

“...It seems the Dark Elves are not as simple as we thought.”

Flowerserein’s reputation as the “Queen Who Hides Her Face” was well known.

Ordinary people didn’t understand the reason behind the title, and Flowerserein doubted the Dark Elves in front of her did either.

However, anyone with even slight knowledge of the underworld would know about her abilities. She had never gone out of her way to hide them.

Yet, these Dark Elves had supposedly never heard of her?

—It’s reconnaissance, nothing more.

The Dark Elves undoubtedly existed. Somewhere, true royalty likely remained. Their ultimate goal was to reclaim the World Tree.

Sending these three to gauge Flowerserein’s abilities had been a successful ploy. She had, after all, revealed the powers of The Spring of Crimson Blossoms to them.

What they would do with that information was a mystery.

“Lady Spring of Crimson Blossoms...”

—Speak.

“Do you think their claim is true? That the World Tree once harbored the energy of death in the distant past?”

—Who knows...

The fox woman scratched her cheek nonchalantly.

—Perhaps it did. But what does it matter? The World Tree now holds only life.

“...I suppose so.”

—Where life exists, death inevitably follows. The World Tree once carried both, but it simply cast one away. Where that death went, I cannot say. But the fact remains that the World Tree is your mother, does it not?

“...Yes, that’s true.”

Yes. What did it change to know the secrets of the World Tree?

It had always been there, unwavering, creating life.

—Still, you must prepare. To protect the World Tree.

“I will. I swear to protect it.”

With that, Flowerserein strode away, her steps hurried. The Dark Elves were taken to the underground dungeons under her orders, charged with treason for attempting to overthrow the queen with black mana.

—Such a worry, murmured the Spring of Crimson Blossoms.

She gazed at the towering World Tree as she left the empty reception room.

—Do they truly wish only to reclaim the World Tree? Or is it something more...?

She pondered whether the Dark Elves, long hidden in the shadows, had joined hands with the Black Mages for some larger scheme.

Could Flowerserein truly protect the World Tree against such forces?

She couldn’t help but worry.

***

Jellyelle was wealthy.

Incredibly, overwhelmingly wealthy.

And because of that, everything she used—especially her equipment—was anything but ordinary.

"...What’s all this?"

"When entering combat, one must always be prepared for every eventuality."

Jellyelle’s combat robe was styled like a dress. In fact, it lacked even the semblance of a traditional robe. There wasn’t even a scarf draped over her shoulders, which might have added some practicality.

Her staff, however, was distinctly elven, made from Black Phantomwood, a material more expensive than diamonds. Its tip was adorned with a Transcendental Stone, a crystal of such pure mana density that it rivaled celestial energy.

This Transcendental Stone was so rare that even Alterisha had repeatedly failed to synthesize one artificially. Only seven existed worldwide.

In addition to her staff, every accessory she wore—bracelets, necklaces, earrings—was of the highest caliber, each capable of enhancing combat ability by at least one class level.

"What level of magic can you currently use?"

"I’ve mastered 6th-class magic."

"...Impressive for someone so young."

Elves developed magical prowess faster than humans. Among their kind, prodigies frequently reached 5th-class magic while still in their teens, which was already far beyond the average human magic warrior trainee.

Jellyelle, even among these prodigies, stood out as exceptional.

‘If it weren’t for the current era filled with protagonist-level monsters at Stella, Jellyelle might have gone down in history as one of the greatest geniuses of her time.’

Comparing her to Stella’s female trio, she didn’t fall short in any category. And unlike them, she also had wealth and influence to back her up.

‘...What’s this?’

Feigning a vacant stare at the sky, Jellyelle focused her senses on Baek Yuseol. His eyes had been fixed on her for quite some time, and even changing her expression felt burdensome. Her cheeks twitched involuntarily.

‘I’ve never felt self-conscious about being watched before...’

The emotion she felt now was strange, unique. For someone who had rarely experienced emotions, this sudden surge of intense feeling was almost overwhelming.

"...What are you doing?"

Finally, she turned and spoke in her usual blunt tone. Baek Yuseol shrugged his shoulders.

"Let’s get going. Are the others ready?"

"Yes, five guards will accompany us."

"Good."

"But we’ll be the ones to take on the Gate first. I need the academic credits, too."

"Oh, right... you’re still a student."

She was still enrolled at Starflower Academy, wasn’t she? Considering how much money she poured into the institution, her frequent absences didn’t seem to matter, though it was clear she didn’t want any blemishes on her diploma.

"By the way..."

"Hm?"

"I’ve prepared some gear for you. Want to see it?"

"My gear? I mean... I’m fine, but okay."

Baek Yuseol usually customized his own equipment, working alongside Alterisha to handcraft everything. He wasn’t stingy about spending on his gear either, so it was unlikely Jellyelle’s equipment would surpass his.

But still...

"Alright."

Seeing Jellyelle’s faintly disappointed expression, he quickly realized there was no harm in accepting a gift someone was so eager to give.

"I wasn’t refusing outright! I just didn’t want to seem greedy. Why would you give up so easily after I said no?"

"Fine."

At his response, Jellyelle snapped her fingers, and a group of ten strong men appeared. They opened the back of a massive truck and began unloading large wooden boxes, stacking them neatly.

Clunk!

The magical wooden boxes opened simultaneously, forming a staircase-like structure. Inside was a treasure trove of rare magical materials and equipment, so extraordinary that even Baek Yuseol’s eyes widened in awe. He wanted to punch himself for having almost refused just a minute ago.

"Is... is this all...?"

As expected, Baek Yuseol was drawn to the magical materials rather than the equipment, and Jellyelle’s satisfied smile deepened. She already knew that he was obsessed with alchemy.

She also knew that Baek Yuseol’s resources were significant enough to obtain nearly anything he wanted.

And yet, she had gone out of her way to procure magical materials so rare that they couldn’t simply be bought with money.

‘Amazing...’

Jellyelle still didn’t fully understand how to win someone’s heart or make them her own.

So, she had relied on what she knew best: wealth.

Though her interactions with Baek Yuseol had taught her that money wasn’t the answer to everything...

Still, having lots of money was never a bad thing, right?

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